BREATHING ROOM

Hawk Visits the Squirrel

It will happen to you
on a carefree afternoon
the air is crisp and cool
the sky a brilliant cloudless blue
the sun low and penetrating
back lighting the pink cosmos and the bee
a stained glass window
holy in its beauty and perfection
You are gleefully leaping
from one branch to another
flying from tree to tree
playfully chasing your friend
dropping acorns along the way
The oak tree shakes and shimmers
When out of nowhere
the unexpected predator
visits you
sinks its talons into your life
rips away
your dearest treasure
And there is nothing you can do
except watch in horror
as what is most precious
is carried away
Grief lands in an instant
a sound emerges
deep, deep
from behind your heart
from some hidden chamber
keening
a strange sound
never heard before

by Patrice Borst Ficken ©2021 Soul Care Connections